She swallowed and nodded, finding no reasonable excuse.
Scott’s den had obviously been furnished for maximum comfort. It was filled with oversize leather furniture, state-of-the-art entertainment equipment and shelves of books, videos and CDs. It was a completely self-indulgent room—as typical of Scott as his generous gestures and impulsive kindnesses.
“Very nice,” she approved, sinking into a thickly cushioned leather sofa.
After shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it over the back of a chair, Scott settled on the couch beside her. “Thanks. I enjoy it.”
“When you’re here.”
“When I’m here,” he agreed blandly.
“Your staff obviously misses you when you’re away.”
“They get along very well without me.”
Blair sipped her coffee, deciding not to argue with him. After all, it was none of her business whether he took his responsibilities to his ranch and his employees seriously.
Scott set his coffee cup on the table in front of them. “Blair, what’s wrong?”
She gazed into her coffee cup as though she saw something fascinating there. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’ve been acting a bit strangely all evening. Is something bothering you? Something from your work? The phone call you took before I picked you up?”
She shook her head. “No, my work is going fine. I’m handling a couple of sticky cases, but nothing I can’t manage.”
“Is it Jeff? Has he done something else to worry you?”
“No. Not since the fight he got into. He’s been on very good behavior since then—at least, most of the time.”
“Then what is it?”
“Really, there’s nothing wrong.”
“Blair.” He took the cup out of her hands and set it beside his. Then he took both her hands in his, gazing deeply into her eyes. “I’ve known you for a very long time,” he said gravely. “Through thick and thin, we’ve come a long way together. I know your every expression. I know when you’re happy or sad or troubled or...”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so full of it.”
His eyebrows rose comically. “I beg your pardon?”
“We’ve known each other less than a month. You don’t know anything about me.”
“Oh, no?” His thumbs moved slowly over the backs of her hands. “You might be surprised.”
Heat was starting to course through her from her hands outward. It was hard to keep her tone light and casual when he was turning her into mush by just holding her hands. His thumbs circled her knuckles, dipping between them.... She barely suppressed a shiver.
“Would you like me to tell you what I know about you?”
She was still looking at their hands. “Mmm? Oh, no, that’s not—”
“You have a big heart,” he began, ignoring her protest—as usual. “You take your responsibilities very seriously—maybe a bit too seriously at times. You’re intelligent and competent and occasionally a bit intimidating. You’re prim and proper outside but warm and passionate on the inside—though you do your best to hide it, because you’re rather afraid of that side of yourself.”
She was growing uncomfortable. “Scott—”
“I think you’ve been disappointed in romance a time or two—probably by men who didn’t understand you or weren’t strong enough for you. You expect a lot from others—but no more than you demand of yourself. You worry too much and play too little, and you make me crazy when you wrinkle your nose and fuss at me.”
She was in serious danger of melting right into his leather couch. “You’re making me nervous.”
His mouth crooked into a lopsided—and devastating—smile. “I like the sound of that.”